rotifer culture

[Guest reeftank 50gal]

I bought some live saltwater rotifers from my local fish store the other day . there is some kind of fluff looking stuff floating in the bottle. I'm wondering if this is normal or has it gone bad ?

[Jon Lazar]

Could be normal. Sometimes phytoplankton forms globs that float around in the culture.

 

Are the rotifers still moving around? If you take a drop or two out of the bottom and look at it through a magnifying glass, you should be able to see the rotifers moving around.

 

Are you using the rots to start a culture of your own?

 

Also, what LFS did you get them from? It could be nice to have a local source that regularly stocks rotifers.

 

Jon

[Guest reeftank 50gal]

under a microscope I can see the rotifers moving around and eating .

Yes I am using them to start my own culture . would it be ok to strain out this fluff

or should I leave it in ?

and what would be the best way to strain it out ?

 

I purchased the live rotifers in my city .

[Caribbean Jake]

contact Lee Stearn. He has a lot of experience with culturing Rotifiers.

[jwildman]

What store was selling the Rotifers?

 

Thanks,

 

John

[Guest alex wlazlak]

........what are rotifers?

[Jon Lazar]

The fluff is probably old clumped up food left over from when they were being cultured. If that's the case, you can strain it out. I get stuff like that in the bottom of my phyto culture all the time, and it ends up going into my rotifer culture sometimes.

 

Also, keep in mind that rotifers have to eat all the time, and they're only as nutritious as what they have in their "belly". If they go too long without eating, they stop moving and die. As long as you keep their water tinted with phytoplankton, they should do fine.

 

Jon